There is something nostalgic about ice cream. It personally brings me back to when I was a child and we would make a slight detour on our way back from Reid State Park. We would pull over to this farm that served ice cream and homemade treats. It was always the highlight of the trip. As I grew older my love for ice cream did too. When I was old enough my parents would throw me a few dollars to chase down the ice cream truck. Some push pop or ice cream sandwich for me. Always a snow cone for my mother. I never understood what she saw in those things...what is so special about just flavored ice. Why go for the snow cone when there were so many other option to choose from?
Now some 25 years later I'm still chasing down ice cream. I have tried Beal's, the Dairy Joys, Gifford's and even that famous Vermont ice cream that helped me get through those long night of college cramming. But nowadays its a little place in Auburn called Sundae's Ice Cream Shoppe that I find myself returning to weekly for my ice cream fix. When you walk into Sundae's on Center Street you are putting yourself in the near presence of some of the best ice cream in the state. But what it offers that is even richer than the ice cream, is the unmatchable service the crew there delivers time and time again. Always with a smile, always with a glowing hello. At the helm of this establishment is Alison Bennett. The more we learn about her...the more amazing she becomes. Bellow is our interview.
DNA: Why and when did you decide to get into the ice cream business?
Mrs. Bennett:"Stan and I had talked for a long time about opening an ice cream business. He grew up on Round Top ice cream and knew that he would want to sell it. Our idea started as a small walk-up shop and quickly morphed into the shop it is today!"
Mrs. Bennett: "I work at the shop full time but we both also have jobs outside of the ice cream shop. Stan is the Assistant General Manager and Broadcast Manager for the State of Maine for Binnie Media. He can be heard on the air in the mornings on 107.5 Frank FM. I work overnights as a surgical technician at Central Maine Medical Center."
DNA: How do you find the time to juggle both/all of your employment?
Mrs. Bennett:"It can be quite tricky at times to balance the demands of our family along with owning a business and work. We have an awesome staff that we couldn’t do this without and our family helps us with our younger boys when we are in a bind."
DNA: What do you enjoy most about owning your own ice cream shop? Mrs. Bennett:"I love our customers! They make all this worth doing. I love to see the kids come in and their faces light up when they see all the different ice cream flavors and they love to get samples on our little sample spoons! I love that we are teaching our kids the value of hard work and that if you set your mind on something you can achieve it. Getting to taste test all the ice cream flavors doesn’t hurt either!"
DNA: What challenges do you face owning your own shop? Mrs. Bennett:"I think the biggest challenge to owning your own business is the time you need to put into it. It isn’t a 9-5 job for sure. People think that being an entrepreneur means that you get rich quick when exactly the opposite is true; it takes years for a business to get off the ground, to get your name out there and build a customer base."
DNA: How many flavors do you have? What is your personal favorite?
Mrs. Bennett:"Between the soft serve and hard serve we have over 50 flavors at any given time! My personal favorite changes almost daily! Round Top makes such rich creamy ice cream that it’s easy to love them all! I am on a Butter Pecan kick right now and I drizzle caramel over the top and add extra pecans. So decadent! Sometimes it’s Mint Chocolate Chip with chocolate jimmies or Almond Joy."
DNA: Where do you get your ice cream from?
Mrs. Bennett:"We get our hard serve ice cream from Round Top Dairy in Damariscotta, ME. They make it all homemade right in their ice cream shop. Round Top has been in the ice cream business since 1924 and they certainly do it right!"
DNA: How many of your children are involved with the family business? Mrs. Bennett: "Stan and I have 4 boys; Zach is 23 and is currently serving our country in the Navy. He is looking forward to helping run the business when he is discharged. Dustin is 19 and is in college for Early Childhood Education at EMCC in Bangor. He worked at the shop when he was in high school and helps out now whenever he can. Drew is 11 and Jake is 8 and they both enjoy being “taste testers” for all the flavors. We told Drew that he can work at the shop as soon as he is tall enough to reach all the ice cream!"
DNA: You have been diagnosed with Lupus. Tell us about it, the challenges you face with it and how are you dealing with it.
Mrs. Bennette:"I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2006 through a series of blood tests, it started with joint pain in my hands and has spread from there. Lupus is an autoimmune disease, which means that my immune system attacks healthy tissue causing painful swollen joints, skin rashes, fatigue and hair loss. It causes different problems for different people, I’ve had heart surgery, blood clots, pancreatitis, vasculitis and I am currently battling hearing loss. I take a bunch of different medications daily and I am starting back on oral chemotherapy this week to try and get it under control. There is no known cause and no known cure and I am the only one in my family with it. I was never one to sit still and I find that if I sit and wallow in self-pity it only makes it worse plus no one wants to be around someone who complains that they don’t feel good all the time. I stay active and follow my doctor’s orders and that’s the best I can do."
DNA: Does having two jobs help you with Lupus?
Mrs. Bennett:"Well, not really! But it does keep me busy and keep my mind off it."
DNA: What words of wisdom can you share with the public about Lupus?
Mrs. Bennett:"I would say that it is different for each individual that’s been diagnosed. I have found through personal experience that it’s even different for me on any given day. Anyone wanting more info about it should visit Lupus.org."
DNA:What is the next big thing in store for the shop?
Mrs. Bennett:"We would really like our ice cream cakes to become more well-known. We just created our own website just to order ice cream cakes; www.sundaescakes.com. We are also working hard to promote our birthday parties. The kids have a ball making their own sundaes and picking their flavors and it’s fun to have all the families in here seeing what we have to offer, everyone loves ice cream so it’s fun for everyone! For more info on parties check out our website at www.sundaesauburn.com!"
DNA: Where do people find out more about Sundae’s? Mrs. Bennett:"We have an online menu on our website sundaesauburn.com along with a link to request info on birthday parties and to order ice cream cakes. We are also on Facebook as Sundae’s Ice Cream Shoppe, find us and like us! We do contests and prizes!"
DNA: What does Sundae’s offer to the public that other ice cream shops do not?
Mrs. Bennette: "We offer a large indoor dining room with 36 seats. Rain or shine it’s always 70 degrees at Sundae’s! We also have a large chalkboard that the kids (and adults) love to draw on. It keeps them busy so the grownups can enjoy their ice cream!"
DNA: Do you eat a lot of ice cream? What is your most popular flavor?
Mrs, Bennett:"As a family we eat a ton of ice cream! It’s quality control ;-) Our biggest seller is the Eagle Tracks, Vanilla ice cream loaded with Oreo Cookies and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. It is also used in our Peanut Butter Sundae, topped with warm peanut butter and hot fudge! It’s our most popular sundae! The Caramel Macchiato is quickly rising to most popular flavor level as well; it’s a cross between our salted caramel ice cream and our coffee ice cream with swirls of caramel running through it." DNA: You currently own a second ice cream shop. Where is it and why did you decide on a second shop?
Mrs. Bennett:"We do own a second shop located in the Lower Village of Kennebunk, ME. It’s called Kennebunk Ice Cream Company. We also sell Round Top Ice Cream there. It’s a very small shop, no inside seating and we only have the hard serve ice cream. It’s currently for sale so we may not own it anymore at the time of this article. We put it up for sale because I just couldn’t keep up with both shops and working at the hospital."
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